Parliament has just passed the first reading of a new Bill which will make it illegal to advertise long-term unpaid internships. It is still two steps away from being made into law, but is a step forward to ending the practise of exploiting experience-hungry talent.
This follows UCA's decision during the summer to ban adverts for unpaid internships from its Careers web pages, which the Students' Union has been campaigning for.
Speaking of the bill on behalf of the UCASU Executive, Luke Frost, Maidstone Campus Officer, said: "We are naturally very pleased that Parliament has unanimously voted to accept the Bill which will put an end to the unfair business of unpaid internships.
"Many talented people across the country are desperate for experience within their chosen trade, who are taken advantage of by big business who demand they work extremely hard with no pay or reimbursement of expenses, sometimes for up to a year at a time."
The second reading of the Bill will be in February.
